God of War Ragnarök is not only a loud and impressive finale to Kratos’ Norse saga—it’s a significant point in terms of accessibility in major gaming. As the whole video game industry slowly opens its eyes to the fact that not every gamer sees the world in the same way, the new epic by Santa Monica Studio is a remarkable one. In a way, it is massive and imperfect like any other, but it is enormously and irrevocably transformative in the manner it extends its mythic world for more people to be able to play.
Right from the start, Ragnarök conveys a message that the developers want you to feel comfortable, like in your own home, regardless of your skill level. The very first thing you do is decide whether to play a Quick Start or go through a Guided Setup. It gives the users a chance to adjust visuals, music, and accessibility even before opening the game. If it is needed, turning on the Square button immediately enables the screen reader, which starts reading down the entire interface in an accessible and logical order: the option name, its current value, what it is, and how to change it. A review from the Game Accessibility Nexus states that this feature makes the whole operation considerably less intimidating and more straightforward for people who rely solely on audio cues.
The accessibility options in the game will also tell you a lot just by looking at them. There are an enormous number of them – somewhat like a labyrinth, but in a positive way. There are four preset groups: vision, hearing, motor skills, and motion sensitivity, each opening the respective set of personalized options. The game offers practically everything from changing the UI text size (up to XX-Large) and icon size to even the highest contrast of the screen and color modifications. When you are adjusting HUD components or the look and feel of the game, it is still the same one goal that is being pursued: to facilitate reading and comprehension. Additionally, if you want to, you can also further go by adjusting aim assist, puzzle timing, traversal assist, auto pick-up, and so on. It is a broad spectrum of instruments, and it is obvious that the developers drew inspiration from accessibility pioneers like The Last of Us Part II.
However, the question remains as to how well the great accessibility features work in gameplay. For blind and low-vision players, the combination of auditory cues, screen narration, and assistance in navigation is an absolute revolution. Ross Minor points out that the game provides audio feedback for almost all actions, such as axe throwing, dodging, and blocking, and it even has a glossary so that you know what each sound is for. By pressing R3, navigation assist is activated, and Kratos will be led to his next goal, whether it is the main story or a side quest. This way, blind players will be able to explore the game’s rich world in their own way instead of just following a single path.
One of the features that deserves to be mentioned is the high-contrast mode. It allows you to paint characters, enemies, and even those objects that you can interact with, as well as danger, in bright and highly visible colors. For example, Atreus can be given a radiant green color, the enemies can be marked red, and the objects that you need to use can stand out even on a dark background. It is not just a simple cosmetic switch but rather an indispensable tool for players who have reading difficulties in the game’s dark and atmospheric environments.
Nevertheless, the system is far from perfect. Disabled reviewers have pointed out that the screen reader is excellent in many features, such as the pause menu and tutorials, but it is not functioning in other areas, like the skill tree, stores, journals, or map. Consequently, it means that getting ready for an activity or doing side quests can become quite a situation, thus turning these moments into infuriating and time-consuming guessing games. The game offers an auto-equip option, but it is not exactly a complete substitute for the missing control. Although all but the most difficult puzzles are made accessible, some of the optional ones are still beyond the reach, as the navigation aid does not always lead to their solutions, and not all actions have corresponding sound cues.
Nevertheless, the experience is a great step forward to a large extent. One of the reviewers likened the combination of high-contrast mode and navigation support to unveiling the game’s world in a whole new way that was not even feasible in the previous 2018 title. The opportunity to independently explore, fight, and solve puzzles gives a strong feeling of freedom. Moreover, the game’s audio design is up to par with the rest—3D spatial sound and distinct audio cues for different actions constitute some of the differences between sighted and non-sighted players.
God of War Ragnarök is not just an accessibility checkbox being ticked—it is a radical shift in what accessibility could mean in AAA games. Yes, there are still a lot of things to be done, such as making sure that every aspect of the game and each menu is accessible to everyone. However, the plethora of features presented here is proof that great storytelling and inclusive design are not two separate, mutually exclusive goals. To every gamer who has ever been ignored by the biggest games in the market, Ragnarök is an emotional and powerful invitation to join the fight.